Mini Ninjas
for the DS has it all. It's got fun platforming segments, RPG elements
that give you a sense of progress, interesting and unique boss battles,
and large, aesthetically pleasing environments... So how could it have
possibly been such a bad game?
Let me put it like this: spaghetti, French fries, and milkshakes are
all my favorite foods, but throw them together in a blender and you're
left with a mess that nobody wants to touch
Kombo's Review Policy:
Our reviews are written for you. Our goal is to write honest,
to-the-point reviews that don't waste your time. This is why we've split
our reviews into four sections: What the Game's About, What's Hot,
What's Not and Final Word, so that you can easily find the information
you want from our reviews.
What's Hot
Mini
Ninjas for the DS starts off with a very promising introductory video
that made me very excited to play the game. It was shot in a style
reminiscent of the older cartoon, Samurai Jack, which got me pumped. If
you've ever seen the show Samurai Jack, you know what I'm talking about.
This video sets the mood and explains the overarching storyline of the
game in a manner on par with some of the top games on the market.
After
you dive headfirst into the game and complete the first chapter, which
is essentially one long tutorial, you're rewarded with some beautiful
environments and the occasional unique platforming tasks. At the end of
every chapter you'll also face an interesting boss that must be beaten
in a particular way, similar to the style of Ocarina of Time (not that
Mini Ninjas should be held on the same level as Ocarina of Time, mind
you). This is a great way to wrap up the chapters and help you feel like
you've accomplished something. There are a series of really neat
mini-games that take place in the "Plane of Spirits," which require you
to solve some fairly simple puzzles using your stylus to get past an
obstacle. I really wish there would have been more of the game which
took place in the Plane of Spirits.
Unfortunately, that's about all there is for the "What's Hot" section...
What's Not
Toward
the end of the introduction, after that wonderful Samurai Jack moment,
you find out that this quest you're on has been attempted by countless
ninjas before you, and you're the last hope for the world. I don't mean
the good kind of last hope, like Bruce Willis in the movie Fifth
Element... No, you're the bad kind of last hope. All the other ninjas
were sent because they were skilled fighters while you stayed home
because you're incompetent. Not the best way to motivate someone to play
a game.
After
the introduction video your master explains to you the more immediate
needs of your local village, essentially starting a tutorial for the
game. This tutorial is short and doesn't provide a very good foundation
for all there is to know in the game, and there's a lot to know about
Mini Ninjas. In fact, there's so much to digest that I didn't fully
understand what I was doing until the second-to-last chapter. Mini
Ninjas has you completing so many random odd jobs that it's hard to
grasp what it is you're actually supposed to be doing. The game's
presentation is obviously most suited for younger players, but the
gameplay is better suited to hardcore gamers who know the ins and outs
of your standard platformers and RPG games. Not that it's a particularly
hard game, but it doesn't fully explain to you what you're supposed to
be doing, who you need to talk to, or what your purpose in a particular
area is.
There's
a map that you can access at any time which is supposed to tell you
where to go next, but I found the map to be almost totally useless. It
doesn't show you which direction you're facing, and there's no compass,
so it's hard to even tell what you're looking at. On top of that, the
label that's supposed to indicate your position on the map isn't
accurate. It just shows up kinda sorta near where you're standing.
Cherry on top: the objectives the map indicates for you aren't always
correct, sometimes it tells you to go somewhere you've already been to
do something you've already done.
Even
though there are some really beautiful and open environments in the
game (by the DS' standards). There are also several copy+pasted areas
and lots of claustrophobic and ugly spots. To make matters worse, in
these tight spots your camera has a really hard time giving you a good
angle. Add to that the fact that the movement controls don't function
the way they do in most platforming games and you've got yourself a
royal mess. There's a segment in a snowy mountain where you're in tight
corridors and a lot of times you can't even see yourself. Oh, there was a
death-hungry chasm right in front of me? Wish I would've seen it...
Final Word
Mini
Ninjas for the DS has its good moments, but it has a lot more bad ones.
Every once in a while you're handed a fun platforming segment, but more
often you're thrown into repetitive fights with the same boring enemies
you've been fighting the whole game. You'll spend a lot more time
wandering around not sure if you're doing what you're supposed to than
you'll actually spend having fun, and segments that might have been fun
otherwise are dragged down by awkward controls and glitches. If you
enjoyed a console version of Mini Ninjas then you might consider renting
the DS version to compliment it, but other than that this game isn't
worth playing.
All this Article is taken from http://ds.kombo.com/article.php?artid=7525 you can download a free Demo, Purchase or online play this game from their official website.
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